Guest nights for international visitors fell 3.3 percent in November 2011 compared with November 2010, Statistics New Zealand said today. This decrease was mainly caused by a large fall in Canterbury. Domestic guest nights were unchanged, resulting in a 1.5 percent overall fall in total guest nights.

"Our international visitors stayed mainly in the North Island, where guest nights were up 7.1 percent, while its domestic guest nights were down 1.9 percent," industry and labour statistics manager Louise Holmes-Oliver said. "However in the South Island, international visitors were down 14 percent, while its domestic visitors were up 3.6 percent."

In total, North Island guest nights rose 1.7 percent in November 2011 compared with November 2010. This rise was led by an 8.6 percent increase in the Wellington region. Auckland fell 1.8 percent, the first monthly decrease in 16 months (compared with the same month a year earlier).

South Island guest nights were down 5.9 percent overall, driven by a 20 percent fall in Canterbury, following earthquakes that began in September 2010. The fall in Canterbury was partly offset by an 8.6 percent rise in the Otago region.

The Accommodation Survey records guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation, and holiday parks in New Zealand each month. The survey does not include visitors staying on cruise ships and in private dwellings.